A day I'd rather forget
by Stroppy Poppy
Summary: Tony Stark is turning 18 and is about to take control of his fathers company. But when another hit is put out on him, how many people will get hurt trying to save him? Will they even suceed? Ignores after S1 E22
1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark was absent minded yes, but he never forgot birthdays. He had never forgotten Pepper's, he have only forgotten Rhodey's when they were 6 and he went to his Dad's grave every year on his birthday. There was however one birthday he always forgot. His own.

"Tony! I can't belive your turning 18 tomorrow." Pepper squealed as they walked home from school,

"Yeah, great."

"Well you don't seem to happy about it?"

"I'm not really."

"Why?"

"Stane could get rid of me, or if i did take it over i might not have time for Iron Man or more importanley you," Pepper's eyes widened, "And Rhodey, you and Rhodey." She smiled and pushed him,

"Tony, you will have time for everything, you'll find a way." She smiled, her deep eyes looking at him with admiration,

"Pep, look I just don't know whats going to happen." Tony sighed then suddenly an idea popped into the red head's mind.

"Well after the next minute give or take, you have two options,"

"What?"

"You go with it, or you act like it never happened."

"Well what is going to..." Pepper thrust her lips onto Tony's and wrapped her arms around his neck. He relaxed into it and put his arms around her waist. She pulled out,

"Well?"

"I'm definately liking option A." She smiled, She felt a hand on her shoulder ripping her away from Tony. She fell to the ground and whacked her head of the concrete, "Pepper!" The person who pushed Pepper looked Tony dead in the eye,

"She's only doing it for the money," Whitney growled, "She doesn't seriously like you, she's your cheerleader." Tony's eyes narrowed,

"Don't you dare speak about her like that!"

"Oh my gosh, you like her don't you? I mean everyone has know since you started hanging out with her she had a thing for you but you like her! Thats rich!"

"I am warning you Whitney," He lowered his voice, a tone niether girl had heard before, "Back. Off." Pepper stood up, Gene walked over to help her up,

"I can't leave you alone for a minute without you getting hurt."

"Thanks, Gene." They all heard a gun shot and remebering what tomorrow was looked at Tony. He was fine but the bullet narrowly missed him. "Tony run!" Pepper squealed, followed by another shot, she looked around frantically to see where it was coming from. "Whitney, It's ghost, take out the mask now!"

"Potts what are you talking..."

"I know about madame masque ok? Look I think thats whos shooting at Tony, we need to find him and stop him." Whitney nodded, Pepper turned to Gene, who had vanished.

* * *

Tony was running away from the fires, one grazing is shoulder. He ducked into an alley and was breathing heavily. He felt metal against his throat. The Ghost made himself visable,

"This time, It was Stane." He laughed, "Sorry to be so abrupt but tomorrow is my deadline." He laughed at his joke. Tony kept eye contact with him and didn't flinch, "Aren't you scared kid?"

"No, not for me." This puzzeled the assain,

"Who for then?"

"My friends, I don't know how Pepper will take it, Whitney will probably kill her Dad then I feel guilty because she'll be in jail, Rhodey will probably shut everyone out like I did and Gene...well Gene wont care."

* * *

Pepper was running in the direction of the bullet holes. She heard sirens, she had to get there before something happened, she didn't hear a shot in a while. But then a noise made her blood run cold. A laugh, like the ones villians chuckle before killing someone, followed by 3 words. She ran to get to them for he finished that last word.

"Goodbye, Tony Stark." Tony squintened his eyes shut he heard the gun load the finger pull the trigger back. He held his breath.

"No Tony!" He quickly turned his head to see Pepper running down the alley, his eyes widened and the Ghost panicked and shot in her direction,

"Pepper!" He cried as the bullet sunk into her arm, she grabbed it and fell in pain. Tony pushed past the Ghost and ran over to Pepper, "What did you think you were doing?" He heard the sirens,

"Buying you some time." She said between gasps.

"Not enough." The Ghost smiled, he pulled Tony up by his throat. "Hrm, 10, 20 million, that about what your worth?"

"Roughly."

"Great, put out a randsom then kill you, double pay day for me."

"Freaze dirtbag!" A police officer called, Tony saw it was Pepper's father,

"Agent Potts! Pepper's been hit you have to get her help!" His eyes flicked to Pepper. He saw Virgil running over to her. Another officer started talking to the ghost,

"Put Stark down, now." Ghost laughed,

"Put him down? That's not what I was hired to do!"

"Who hired you?"

"Stane," Tony choked as the Ghost hardened his grip,

"Shut up, or you know what I'll do," He aimed his gun at Pepper. Tony struggled,

"Leave them alone." A metalic voice boomed, The police turned to see the Mandarin. The ghost laughed and turned invisable, taking Tony with him. Pepper screamed.

* * *

They became visable again on a rooftop, the rooftop of Stark International. "Irony, don't you think Stark? You could fall, that would keep me out of this. But I've already been caught. The police are arresting Stane now, I could throw the body down then, Good idea Stark?" Tony was looking in the direction they came, The ghost kicked him, "Answer me."

"What ever! I don't care!"

"I'm about to kill you, don't you get it?"

"I get it I get it but hurry up. The police need to worry about Pepper, not finding me. I might as well jump and save you the hassel."

"Stark, She'll be fine. 4-6 weeks and it will heal up nicely." Tony smiled, until he felt the cold metal against his throat again. He Ghost laughed moving it down to his heart, until he heard the sound of tow metals hitting off each other, "What the..." He lifted Tony's shirt to see the tech in his heart, "So that's how you survived the plane crash?" Tony nodded, he Ghost pulled out a small ball containing nanobots, "This may hurt just a little," He poured them on to the heart tech and watched Tony squirm in agony.

* * *

"Mr. Stane, You are under the arrest for the attemped murder of Tony Stark." The agent siad, handcuffing him, Stane laughed,

"It won't be attempted for long,"

"Where is he?"

"Right under your nose." Stane laughed he laughed all the way to the station.

* * *

"Pepper your bleeding very badly stay down!"

"No Dad, I need to find Tony!"

"Pepper we will!"

"Not in time you won't! There's one way to find him and I'm sorry but I can't tell you!" She pushed past her Dad and the paramedics and ran to Rhodey's house. She ran into the armory and put on the first armour she could find. It ahuddered then fitted itself to her curved figure, the helmet even flicked out where her hair did, The Iron Man armour was clearly being worn by a girl, "Computer, locate Tony Stark."

"Locating, Stark International rooftop."

"I'm coming Tony, I promise."

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	2. Chapter 2

"That's better, now your suffering, now it's fun!" The Ghost laughed, The wires of his heart implant burnt through his shirt, his chest felt like it was on fire. The pain was beyond words, nothing could be edged for the end of the roof, just to make it stop. "No, No, no. Your not getting out of this that easily." The Ghost smiled. He grabbed Tony's heart implant and ripped the rest of it out. Tony cried out in agony, he felt his heart starting to shut down.

* * *

"WARNING! Singal of Heart implant lost." The armour rang out, Pepper's eyes widened,

"No! Armour max out thrusters!"

"Maxing."

* * *

"Iron Man?" Tony turned his head to see the red and yellow blur coming towards them. It stoof on the edge of the building. Curved and the helmet stuck out like Pepper's hair did. His eyes widened in shock, "My mistake, Iron Woman."

"Let Stark go!" Pepper saw the heart implant lying on the ground next to Tony, "Oh no..."

"Wait a second," The ghost began, "Iron Man always seems to come to your rescue. The unibeam is in the same place your implant was and i bet this hurts,"

He ran over and Hit Pepper's bad arm, she shot at him as a reflex, "This is hilarious! I'm about to kill Iron Man." The Ghost alerted the media annomously who Iron Man was, but police quickly Tracked the signal and media vans and FBI vans parked underneath Stark Tower. This happened in a mear five minutes. Tony attempted to stand but grabbed his cheast and fell.

"Tony!" Pepper ran to catch him, The ghost grabbed her from behind and shot at the bootjets, once it was obviously they wouldn't work he pushed he off the building, Tony's eyes widened as she fell. She hit the ground, the armour breaking her fall, but it was too damaged to get back up there. She quicky retracted the armour and slung it over her shoulder, she ran for the stairs but the mandarin appeared infront of her and flashed her out.

* * *

They were both in Gene's step-father's shop. He walked her into the room with the mandarins chair and took off his helmet, "Gene!" She threw her arms around him, then remebered, "You're the Mandarin?"

"Is Stark really Iron Man?" She nodded with tears welling up in her eyes. "You can't save him Pepper, please who means more to you, me or him?"

"Gene you can't ask me to chose like that! He needs my help!"

"I need Iron Man dead, you understand that right?" Tears spilled from her brown eyes, Gene hugged her but she fought him off,

"I do _not_ understand! You just answered your own question. Tony, not you." The ran for the door but Tong members blocked it, she turned back to Gene,

"You misunderstand, You can't save him, I need him dead."

"But he's your friend!"

"No, he's not." Gene brought her into a room with a tv in the corner, the news was turned on, she recognized the boy being held there by the Tong,

"Rhodey!"

"Pepper please tell me this isn't happening, The Mandarin grabbed me as soon as I went to find you!"  
"It's Gene,"

"What?" The mandarin took of his helmet again, "You piece of s..."

"Rhodey! Look at the screen!"

* * *

"She's fine Stark, You designed that armour you know she's fine," Tony couldn't move he could only just about breath. The ghost grabbed him and brought him to the egde of Stark Tower, the media were taking Pictures and the news were recording. "It's been fun Stark but," He raised the gun to Tony's chest, right where the heart implant had been. "Goodbye." He pulled the trigger and dropped Tony. People gasped at the shot the screamed as he fell. The fire department had a trampoline to catch him.

* * *

"TONY!" Pepper screamed, Rhodey tried to face away from the screen but the look on Pepper's face was more painful. Tony landed on the trampoline, barely alive, a camera man was sent away by police the other's turned off their cameras. Gene turned off the TV.

"Pepper, Rhodes, you're free to go." Rhodey stood up but Pepper sat, staring at the screen. Her hands covring her mouth, her eyes glased with tears.

"Pepper, come on. We can still get to the hospital." She sat there.

"Pepper, I'm sorry. If i let you go that could have been you I couldn't let that..." Gene began.

"Stop, you've done enough! I could have got him!" Rhodey sat at the boy he was considering to be his friend,

"Your attempt would have failed like Pepper's. He 's gone because Stane put a hit out on him. You're here because I stopped you."

"Tony?" Pepper asked quietly with her shaking hand on the screen.

"You made her watch it. We owe you nothing."

"I thought she'd want to know how it happened."

"He was your friend!"

"No, I needed him for the rings, I 'll find the rest on my own! Iron Man was the final excuse, I detached, but not from Pepper. I saved her and I knew if she lost Tony she would need you!"

"Rhodey, Please tell me that didn't just happen." Pepper turned to look at her firend, tears streaming in rivers down her pale face.

"I'm sorry Pepper but it..."

"No, it didn't he's fine and and..." It finally dawned on her that he probably wasn't going to wake up. She curled up in a ball and cried. Rhodey tried to comfort her but she ran out. She ran out into the street towards the hospital. She saw Tony going in. She froze at the sight of him, She had never seen so much blood.

"Look that's Pepper Potts!" One of the media called, A security guard at the hospital quickly got her inside the hospital away from the cameras.

"Miss Potts, are you Ok?" She nodded absently,

"Where's Tony?"

"Miss Potts, he is in critical cond..."

"WHERE IS HE!" Pepper started to cried again, silent tears dripped down her face, The guard took her to the viewing point meant for doctors of the surgery room. Agent Potts saw them,

"Pepper!"

"Dad?" She wrapped her arms around him and cried, he thanked the guard who returned to his post. Pepper then released her Dad and Ran up to the viewing point, she pressed her hand against the glass and gasped, Tony was lying there attached to so many different machines. Someone was trying to replicate the heart implant, using more science but not high tech enough, they needed a Stark. One of the Doctors looked up and saw her, she couldn't look Pepper in the eye. Agent Potts finally caught up with her. Pepper collasped into his picked her up and took her to A&E for fix up on her arm.

* * *

Pepper woke up with a cast on her arm. Rhodey was sitting next to her, fast asleep. She crept out and snuck back up to the viewing point. The room was empty. Her heart sank. He didn't make it? She snuck out to be caught by a Doctor. She muttered a swear word he laughed, "Mr Stark Is alive, incase you were wondering,"

"H-How is he?"

"Terrible. He woke up once then went into a coma."

"Did he say anything?"

"He wanted to know where you were."

"Me?"

"He also said you really suit the armour." Pepper laughed,

"Can I see him?"

"I don't recommend it, but if you want to."

"I really do."

"Ok then, follow me."

* * *

**_Should Tony wake up or not? Ideas? Likes dislikes? REVIEW XXX_**

**_OH and for anyone reading Avengers, I'm updating tonight_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hi everyone, how are you? Just wanted to ask would anyone be inerested in an IM:AA and tv version of Vampire diares crossover?_**

* * *

Tony was lying there. He looked like a machine. That wasn't Tony, it was a machine with his face. The doctor handed Pepper a book, It was small, labeled 'emergency.'

"We can't crack the password, mabye you can." He asked, She looked at the voice box an saw a picture on the back, him, Howard and Maria,

"Howard and Maria Stark," The diary opened, she looked throught it, Writing and pictures,

_Pepper found out I'm Iron Man, I'm glad I dont have to hid it from her, I hate hiding things from her._

_I blew it again! Righ before 2011 I will ask Pepper Potts to be my girlfriend. I hope she doesn't laugh at me, what if she does?_

_There are people out there who want me dead, if anything happens to me, control of Stark internation should be divided between the Potts and Rhodes familes. Control of Iron Man should go to James Rhodeys and this book should go to Patrica Potts. If she ever needs money , she is to access the Stark fund. If i am dead when you're reading this, I'm sorry._

Pepper sighed and turned the page, schematics of his heart implant fell open. She handed them to the doctor,

"This will keep his heart stable,

"Thank you, Miss Potts, whats on the other page?"

"A will."

"Keep that safe, this has only got a 50% chance of working. Get back to bed before anyone notices your gone." He smiled,

"Thanks." She scampered off to her bed, wakening Rhodey with the squeak of the mattress.

"Pepper?" Rhodey asked,

"Go back to sleep,"

"Mmmm, Kay."

* * *

The Ghost walked up to Tony, "You just won't die will you?" He chuckled, Obadiah Stane walked up behind him, the news only came on tem minutes after he had escaped from prison.

"Don't."

"Why not?"

"Burn this place to the ground," He smiled, "If he wakes up, I want him to suffer." The Ghost chuckled and pressed a button, they heard several explosions,  
"I'm way ahead of you."

* * *

Pepper heard the explosion, "Tony!" She ran to find him but Rhodey grabbed her,

"We need to get out of here, the building is on fire, they already have two floors evauacted we need to move!"

"No, we need to get to Tony, follow me I know where his room is." She pushed past doctors and ran for Tony's room, "Ghost!" She cried in horror. The door behind her slammed before Rhodey got in. He bagged on the door, now locked from the inside, "Stane." She felt her knees go weak. The Ghost put his hand on Stane's should and threw a firebomb into the room,

"We know you have the will, now I eliminate everything keepingme from Stark's fortune and company." The two of them dissapeared. Pepper tried to find a window, anything to get out of but the door was jammed, she saw a tiny opening under the dorr , she grabbed the book from her pocket and pulled out the pages of the will, she slid them under to Rhodey,

"Pepper, what are you doing?"

"Get out of here, I'll get him out!"

"What about you?" She paused ,

"Collateral damage, now move!" Rhodey nodded and ran. Pepper looked over at Tony's bed. They had alreayd made a prototype heart implant, Prototype would have to do, She wired it into him, coughing from the smoke. It started to go. Tony started breathing on his own, she sighed in relif and unplugged him. His eye's flickered open,

"Pepper?"

"Thank God, Tony we need to get out of here, the building is on fire!"

"Where are we?" Tonny asked still dazed,

"Hospital," Tony them remebered,

"Are you O..."he sat up quickly and cried out in pain and fell back onto the bed.

"Easy, you fell from an 100 floored building, with a gunshot wound."

"How am I alive?"

"You don't seem to die do you?" She started coughing ans fell to her knees, she remeber about the smoke, "We need to get you out of here,"

"WE need to get out of here,"

"If I can only get one of use out it will be you." She grabbed a bit of charred metal and swung at the door, Crack, hit again, crack, crack crack. Tony's head was spinning, he sat up slowly and looked at his blood stained clothes, ripped and red. He put his feet on the floor and stood up, he stumbled, grabbing onto the wall for support. papepper cracked the door so much she just kicked it in, she turned to get Tony, A beam fell from the roof between them.

"Tony!"

"I'm fine, I moved. Are you Okay?"

"Yes, yes. Can you climb over it?"

"I think so." Tony tried not to think about the burning metal under his hands and knees, his chest ached, he could tell it was made wrong. He made it to the door, Pepper pulled his arm over her should and helped him out, they looked for an exit it in smouldering heat.

"Pepper, make a left turn here."

"What? How do you know this hospital so well, how can you even tell what floor we are on."

"We're on the floor they put the people about to die, trust me make a left turn." She did, still confused but she saw a fire excape, but they were 4 floors up, Tony wouldn't make it, "Just move Pep!" She nodded and stumbled down the stairs, she made it to the second floor, then collasped, to much smoke inhilation, "Pepper!" Tony had to lift her, he practically fell down the stairs, the ask and sparks burnt his skin, exposed due to his shirt having to be off to fit the heart implant. He kicked down the exit down and collasped at it, he couldn't get both of them out. Pepper was still breathing, but very weak, he crawled to the door and grabbed her wrist, dragging her behind him. Black spots flickered over his eyes. "C'mon, we are nearly there."

"Why haven't they come out?" Rhodey said in the crowd to Agent Potts,

"I don't know but..." He stopped mid sentecne when the building started to collapse.

* * *

**_Bum bum bum! I will update later but i had to make this shorter than i intended because i have to write a stupid geography story, with a 2 page limit , grr_**


	4. Chapter 4

"What was that?" Tony coughed after hearing a crushing sounds overhead. Pepper was pulling at the door with all her strength.

"No no no no, it can't be stuck, no!" She panicked. Tony pushed himself up and hit against the door hinges. "What are you doing?"

"The is enought heat and pressure here that these should pop with some levergae under them." He grunted after he picked up a slab of wood and was twisting the hinge at the top until it popped. "One to do then it can be kicked down."

"Tony Stark, I could kiss you!" Pepper exclaimed with joy,

"Maybe later, kay? When we aren't about to die?"

"Tony you are always about to die."

* * *

"We gotta help them!" Rhodey yelled before Virgil grabbed his waist to hold him back, "What are you doing? Your daughter is in there!"

"Yes and she would kill me if I was to let you get hurt."

* * *

"It isn't opening!" Pepper cried. The hinges were gone but the door was still stuck.

"I think the buildings coming down, maybe its to much pressure," Tony reasoned. Pepper however was ignoring him and ran back as far as she could. "What are you doing?"

"This better work because this is really, really going to hurt." She raced towards the door and jumped at it causing in to spring open, but the air coming in ignited the flames further. "C'mon move Tony!" Tony followed her out in just enought time ot see that yes the building was coming down and they were about ten seconds away from being flattened.

"Run!"

"Why?"

"When it hits the bottom floor the fire will go out at any air point, Where are we standing?"

"Air point, right running!"

* * *

"Look! Look, the bottom floor, someones coming out!" A officer cried.

"Please, c'mon." Rhodey hoped, praying it would be his friends.

"It's Stark and Potts! Repeat we have Stark and Potts!"

* * *

_Some are calling it the miricle escape. All we know is someone must be watchign over the young Stark. This is Peter Hawkson signing off._

__"How the hell did he survive?" Stane demanded turning off the news.

"I don't know, luck?" Ghost sighed, picking at his gloves.

"We need to do something!"

"Its not like you can go slit his throat and rip his heart out. The kid seems unkillable." The Ghost replied but looked up to see Stane smirking. "I just gave you an idea?"

"Oh yes, a bloody good one indeed."

_**Hey look I'm alive and updated an Iron man story! YAYY**_

_**REVIEW PLEASE!**_


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